Hey honey, can you go to the store and pick up a few songs? My iPod needs filling!

That sounds a bit silly, but it seems to me that that is what?s happening to the popular song these days. People buy single songs for .99? or rip one or two tracks from a CD to load up their iPods. Then they categorize them so that they have songs for sunny days, rainy days, break-up days, and laundry days. The songs become a commodity and random fodder for our daily soundtrack. And don?t even get me started on ring tones!

It?s not all the fault of the consumer either. Songwriters are lured by the possible exposure and money they can earn from a commercial endorsement or the placement of one of their songs on a WB network show. And like these shows, the music is getting predictable and boring; they say the same things in the same ways with the same musical approach. I listen to these songs and I just say – So What? -

Thus I?ve come to create a whole new category of pop music called, in my book, ?So What Music?. The songs are well played, the singers, for the most part are ok, and there is nothing really ?wrong? with the songs except that I?ve heard them before in some guise or another. I?m an XM Satellite radio subscriber and as I bounce around the twenty or so channels that offer popular songs of some style or another I realize that there really are not a lot of signed artists that offer something ?new?. Perhaps that?s why they are signed – oooh I?m being cynical – maybe, but it does seem that the bigger acts are the ones that appeal to the middle. And, I guess there?s nothing wrong with that, it?s been happening since pop music became pop music, but? So What?

When I was a kid I went to the Kresge?s dime store and bought 45?s for 75? and traded those around with my friends, but I also bought albums (when I had the cash). The albums I bought usually had an arc to them and I would listen to the first side and then want to turn over to the other side to hear how the thing ended. Born To Run is a prime example and I can?t listen to just the song Born To Run without humming She?s the One right after it. It?s the next chapter in the story. These albums had songs that had depth and imagery and the albums themselves had an arc to them that demanded that I listen to the entire CD.

So who is doing this these days? If you take a listen to this week?s podcast I feel that the three artists that are spotlighted do and I can name a few signed artists like Elvis Costello, Springsteen, and an up and coming favorite of mine Ryan Adams. We as discriminating listeners have to wade through a lot of mish-mash to get to the real good stuff. But it?s well worth the search and hopefully this podcast is a good place to jump off.

Darryl

Darryl Gregory is the host of Unsigned Underground, a monthly podcast that is all about the independent musician. Darryl also reviews unsigned CDs on his blog Unsigned Music Reviews. Darryl is a freelance musician, teacher and owner of Blue Cave Studios in Connecticut.

If you thought music theory was a waste of time and not necessary to further your musical goals, then read these following 5 reasons why this is not true.

1.Read sheet music: Being able to play from any piece of sheet music. Well it may be hard to play BUT you can read it!

2.Be able to transpose: Say you are playing a piece from the sheet music you can now read but you think it sounds too high or too low, or just not right. Well now you can move it into a new key and play at a better singing.

3.Be able to modulate: You will be able to, with a few quick moves of the fingers, move your music into a new key with a succession of notes so pleasing to the ear it will bring a smile to your listeners faces.

4.It will increase your skill in improvising: Enough said.

5.Knowing music theory will help you recreate the sounds you enjoy in your favorite songs. Those fabulous chord progressions. The parts that give a song that certain sound. Gospel, Contemporary etc.

To learn music theory you dont have to become a scholar on the subject. Just at least learn the basics. Getting a good music theory book and spending a few minutes a day reading from it and doing any included exercises can jump start your music playing.

K Quinn is a church pianist and guitarist for her church. Having picked up music late in life she is the site proprieter at http://www.strugglingchurchmusician.us Tips, tools, and recommendations for a church musician.

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The music world is big, really big, but the potential and ability around is truly magnificent and the world always provides you with a platform to express yourself and unleash your potential.

In order for you to do that, its essential for you to realise whats special about you and what makes you who you are and why you can share what you know.

Let me share with you a short story…

It was a Saturday night and Joseph went to see a play. The play was of the famous musical Grease and featured 1000 actors. He was in the audience in the big theatre consisting of over 700 people. It was a magnificent play, and as it came to an end, all the actors and actresses came onto stage. There were 1000 in total, but there was something in peculiar and that was that only one of them really stood out and only she was really remembered. Perhaps youd be drawn to the blue-haired man or green-haired child but Joseph was really drawn towards the misty-blue woman with the long black hair in the deep blue cape with half her face hidden, standing silently at the edge of the stage.

What Im trying to convey here is that to be remembered for your music and who you are in the music world, you must have something special to convey out there. What is it that will distinguish you from the rest of the musicians? For example, you may be a guitarist like the others out there, but whats special about you is the style you play, or the way you pluck a chord, or the way you dress, or perhaps the way you show yourself. The list and possibilities are endless and thats why you are remembered. A famous example would be our good friend Michael Jackson whose moonwalk was a famous branding identity and helped his music stand out.

Take some time out to write or think about whats important to you in your music and what would make you stand out from a 1000 people standing on stage. Think about why people would remember you. Why should they remember you? What can you give them? Ask yourself if youre being a strong enough version of YOU, or if youre just in the hideout not wanting people to experience who you really are and the magic you can produce.

Once youve understood what you want, its extremely useful to define your presence in the music scene as you would want it on a piece of paper so that you can get your thoughts clear. Perhaps even write it in big and stick it near your bedside or on a place where you can see it. Bring out all your quirks.

(P.S. The most memorable actor on stage might be the one that gets off the stage, walks up to your seat, and gives you a kiss.)

Kavit Haria, The Musicians Coach

Kavit Haria is The Musicians’ Coach. Kavit is the director of InnerRhythm, a company that prides on providing success solutions for musicians worldwide. Kavit sends out a musician development newsletter to over 2000 musicians in 16 countries every fortnight to help them achieve their desired results. Sign up now and experience the huge benefits from www.innerrhythm.org

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Are you struggling to develop a music career? Perhaps you have talent as a singer, songwriter or musician and even have your own band. You may be spending lots of time performing and promoting your music career with hopes of getting that big break someday. But have you ever noticed how things don’t always go the way you’ve planned?

Plan – method of procedure; to arrange beforehand

This has really been apparent in my life recently. Last week my husband had some time off from work so we planned to go backpacking. But the nice weather we’d been having suddenly turned cold and wet. So we had to change our plans and drown our sorrows at a hot springs resort with some friends instead. Yesterday we had plans to go horseback riding. The weather was absolutely beautiful this time, but I got sick and couldn’t go anywhere. So, not being able to do much else, I decided to read The Beatles Anthology. I found it absolutely fascinating how The Beatles music career developed; it almost seems providential.

Providence – foresight; God watching over mankind

I’ll quote Ringo from the book to show you what I mean…

Things used to fall right for us as a band. We couldn’t stop it. … We’d conquered France, we conquered Spain and Italy; but we were worried about America… Then Ed Sullivan was getting off a plane at Heathrow at the same time that we were geting off one from Sweden, saw all the fans at the airport and booked us on the spot. He didn’t know us and we didn’t know him. ~ The Beatles Anthology pg.116.

Most music fans know that when The Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan show it became one of the biggest events in rock and roll history. But when The Beatles started out they didn’t seem to know much about planning a music career. John and Paul knew they wanted to be good songwriters and as a band they all wanted to make good music. This was their focus. They honed their craft by playing as much as possible and took advantage of the opportunities that came their way.

So, when planning your music career, try to keep the following things in mind:

• stay focused on developing your craft
• perfect your skills by playing a lot
• get exposure through performing at public venues
• take advantage of opportunities that come your way
• and last, but not least, realize…

In his heart man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9

*man in this verse is a generic term for humankind

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Reading sheet music can be very intimidating for a beginning guitarist. It is, after all, a brand new language composed of a lot of symbols that are new and alien. But Reading sheet music is a must for anyone who wants to be a serious guitarist and it will take your guitar playing well beyond anything that TAB will show you. Tablature is a crutch. It will only teach you how to play songs and compositions by rote. It is true that with Tab you will learn how to play a piece of music but in the process you are missing some of the real things that music, and being a musician are all about.

What is the goal of a guitarist?

Playing pieces of music is not the only goal of a guitarist. Growth in both technical ability and creativity are just as important. When you learn a piece of music by TAB you experience a certain amount of growth but as you master the piece your growth quickly levels off. You have learned the piece and you practice it only to keep it sharp. When you learn a piece of music with traditional sheet music you are not just learning the notes you are also learning another language. This exercising of your mind makes you more flexible, more capable, and more creative. With time and practice you recognize keys, chords, progressions and whole host of things you would never see with TAB.

Advantages of Reading Sheet music

Hearing the music -As your skill develops and your ears sharpen you will be able to pick up a piece of written sheet music and actually hear the notes without playing the guitar. It is a language that you have learned. For some this ability comes quickly and for others it takes years of practice.

Creativity Learning a language exercises a new part of your brain. Everyday, as you apply yourself to learning this new language you will grow. And this growth promotes your creativity. You are given many more tools to work with and apply to your music composition and you gain a broader, and more colorful, understanding of music.

Sight Reading – As you develop your skill in reading sheet music you will gain the ability to pick up a piece of music that you have never seen before and play it from sight. This ability makes you a competent musician and accelerates your ability to add pieces to your repertoire.

Breadth of Repertoire - Does your taste in guitar music deviate from the mainstream? It can be very difficult to find tablature for pieces that are not mainstream. But you can always find the sheet music. It is the language of music.

Cross-pollination with other instruments – If you have heard a piece of music written for another instrument; like the piano, bass guitar, cello, or anything else where would you find guitar tab for it? If you are able to read sheet music you can get a copy of the music, understand it, and transcribe it for your guitar. This holds true for sub-genres of guitar. There is an enormous amount of music available to guitarists that are not written in tab. Music like classical guitar, flamenco, Spanish and progressive/experimental. Reading sheet music gives you instant access to all these flavors of guitar.

The Ultimate Reward

As a guitar player, or aspiring guitar player, you know that it is not something that you study for a few weeks and are done. Playing guitar is a life long pursuit and learning tablature is just a short cut that enables you to play some songs. But learning to read sheet music is a skill that will have a more profound impact on your experience with the guitar and with the music. It will make you a better, more creative, and more capable player. It will enrich your experience with the guitar and with the music in ways that tab never can.

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